Wee: Malaysia open to talks to resume MH370 search

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is willing to have discussions with China and Australia to continue the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

He said he had personally met with the representatives of family members who organised an online videoconference known as Voice 370, an MH370 family support group, on Sunday.

“I have stated that we are open to any discussion to continue the search with the help of China and Australia, and to ensure that family members will continue to be informed of the latest developments regarding the flight in the future, ” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

Flight MH370 was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 238 passengers and crew on board when it disappeared from the radar.

No sign of the plane was found in a search zone spanning 120,000sq km in the Indian Ocean.

The Australian-led hunt, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017.

A US exploration firm launched a private hunt last year, but it ended after several months of scouring the seabed without success.

The MH370 Annexe 13 Safety Investigation Team’s report was released in July 2018.

The team concluded that it could not determine the real cause of the plane’s disappearance.

However, it did not rule out the possibility that “unlawful interference” by a third party had caused the incident.

Dr Wee said that on March 8,2014, the whole country was struck with sadness after Flight MH370 was reported missing.

“Although seven years have passed, it is still fresh in all of our memories, ” he said.

“We will continue to pray for all the passengers and crew members who were on board Flight MH370.

“We will also remain together with the family members and relatives in facing the challenges, ” he added.

Voice 370 previously appealed to the authorities to release all available data to independent experts for a thorough peer review and analysis.

The group also called upon the Malaysian government to stay committed to the search for Flight MH370.